It no longer posed a challenge to overcome “such a commercial giant.”
Nintendo has historically taken legal action against various companies and initiatives, consistently achieving its desired outcomes. However, it recently faced a different scenario in a trademark dispute against a local Costa Rican family-owned “super” market.
‘Huge Mario’, located in San Ramón (which bears no significant relation to the famed video game series other than its name), has been operating for several years. Sadly, when Mario’s son sought to renew the supermarket’s registered trademark last year, Nintendo intervened.
The father and son team were unsure how they would contend with “such a commercial giant” and at one point considered “giving up.” Fortunately, everything turned out well:
“I want to sincerely thank my legal and accounting advisor José Edgardo Jiménez Blanco who managed the registration and the subsequent struggle for the trademark rights. For a while, we thought about giving up. How could we possibly win against such a commercial giant? Especially with the vast number of legal documents they provided to ensure their victory. Fortunately, Edgardo and I remained steadfast, and just a few days ago we received the great news.”
The National Register, Costa Rica’s trademark authority, ultimately ruled in favor of the local supermarket, as Nintendo had trademarked ‘Huge Mario’ under various categories, but supermarkets and the “sale of groceries” were not included.
As illustrated in the images, the supermarket’s branding bears no substantial resemblance to the beloved video game, with the phrase “Super Mario – Su lugar de confianza” translating to “Super Mario – your trusted place.” Additionally, if you decide to visit this store, you can receive a complimentary sticker featuring the supermarket’s logo.
“This is a significant milestone towards our vision, and the reason a company of this magnitude is being selective is because we are making ourselves known. SUPER MARIO is here to stay.”
While this marks a notable victory for the local supermarket against Nintendo, certain other companies in the vicinity are feeling the pressure.
What are your opinions on this situation? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
[sourcefacebook.com, by eurogamer.net]
Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He has been